Norfolk man names baby after the founder of the Tour de France

Henri Desgrange Martin has a lot to live up to - especially as his birth made his dad miss the race

2010 Tour de France podium (Photosport International)

A Norfolk man has demonstrated his passion for the greatest cycling race on earth - by naming his baby after the Tour de France founder, Henri Desgrange.

Pete Martin, who is staging his second exhibition all about the Tour, featuring his own private memorabilia, at Marsham Village Hall over the weekend of 22 and 23rd June 2013, says that he suffers from 'Tour fever' and loves to travel to watch the race.

Mr Martin told the Eastern Daily Press that when he saw his first race in 1998: “I was overwhelmed. It’s not just a cycle race, it’s a carnival and a festival. You can just suck up the atmosphere in a town or village for hours before anything happens. It’s loud, exciting and colourful. You get what’s called ‘Tour fever’ - and I’ve got it."

Little Henri was born as the Tour of Britain passed through Norfolk in 2011 - causing Mr Martin to miss the race, which he said was 'annoying'.

Young Henri's Tour connections don't end with his name, he shares his September 18 birthday with the disgraced Lance Armstrong, who was found to have cheated and was last year stripped of his seven Tour de France victories.

After an unpromising start, having to be bribed by her parents to learn to ride without stabilisers, Sarah became rather keener on cycling in her university years, and was eventually persuaded to upgrade to proper road cycling by the prospect of a shiny red Italian bike, which she promptly destroyed by trapping a pair of knickers in the rear derailleur. Sarah writes about about cycling every weekend on road.cc.

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Ghedebrav[1099 posts]4 years ago

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My first, a little boy, is due during the Tour. I'm trying (and failing) to convince the wife to give him as a middle name the first name of whoever wins the stage on his date of birth

But only if it's a vaguely cool name like Vincenzo or Fabian or Maxim or Romain. All bets are off it goes to Gediminas Bogdanis or Garikoitz Bravo.